Getting Oriented

Guna Yala (aka Kuna Yala) stretches along Panama's northeast coast from the Central Caribbean eastward to the border with Colombia, comprising forested mountains, coastal lowlands, the 365 Guna Yala (San Blas) Islands, and the surrounding sea. The entire province was once called San Blas, but it is known now by its indigenous name, Guna Yala, which translates as "Land of the Guna." Only one road penetrates the otherwise isolated province, a dirt track called Camino Llano-Cartí that traverses its western end.